Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2428 for Friday May 10th, 2024
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2428 with a release date of
Friday, May 10th, 2024 to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Hams help a victim of human trafficking in
India. The popular GreenCube satellite is saved for amateur use -- and
the newest vehicle for Morse Code is one with four-wheel drive! All
this and more as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2428 comes your
way right now.
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BILLBOARD CART
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HAMS ASSIST IN RETURN OF TRAFFICKED WOMAN IN INDIA
PAUL/ANCHOR: Our top story takes us to India, where hams played a key
role in the return home of a woman abducted five years earlier by a
human-trafficking ring. We have that story from Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
JIM: A woman in India who had been abducted and sold into the illegal
sex trade in Delhi by a human-trafficking ring is safely home after a
five-year absence after the governments of India and Bangladesh
combined their efforts with amateur radio operators in West Bengal.
Reports in the Indo-Asian News Service and the Times of India said the
woman was 21 years old when she was taken to Delhi by a friend who said
she knew of an opportunity she might be interested in. According to
media accounts, the two people accompanying the women were later
discovered to be Bangladeshi operatives who forced the abducted woman
into a life of abuse and regular torture.
The woman escaped and fled to Kolkata after four months and was taken
in by a state-affiliated shelter for people who have suffered trauma
and abuse. She underwent treatment for memory loss and once she could
recall the abduction, officials contacted the West Bengal Radio Club,
which authorities credit with success in aiding missing-persons cases
through the club's wide network of contacts. The club's secretary,
Ambarish Nag Biswas, VU2JFA, distributed photos of the woman to ham
clubs throughout Bangladesh. He also notified Delhi Police who were
able to track down - and arrest - the trio involved in the earlier
abduction.
The repatriation process from India back to Bangladesh began soon
afterward. According to local media, the woman was among 19 Bangladeshi
nationals who were survivors of trafficking who were recently returned
to their homes.
This is Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
(TIMES OF INDIA)
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NEW AGREEMENT SAVES GREENCUBE'S AMATEUR OPERATIONS
PAUL/ANCHOR: Threatened earlier this year with having its digipeater
decommissioned, the GreenCube satellite has been saved for amateur
radio. We hear those details from Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
JEREMY: AMSAT Italia has announced that it has acquired an interest in
the satellite known as "GreenCube," a collaborative move that will save
it from scheduled decommissioning. Known as IO-117, the satellite's
original mission was to conduct experiments with plant cultivation in
space. Launched in 2022, it carried an on-board digipeater that gave
GreenCube the distinction of being the first medium-earth-orbit amateur
radio satellite.
Earlier this year, the Italian Space Agency announced that the
digipeater was to be decommissioned. Those plans sparked petition
drives and a letter from AMSAT's president Robert Bankston, KE4AL, to
preserve amateur radio use of the popular satellite.
With this new agreement in place, GreenCube will be operated jointly by
AMSAT Italia and Sapienza Space Systems and Space Surveillance
Laboratory. According to an announcement carried by AMSAT News Service,
legal responsibility for GreenCube now transfers to AMSAT Italia from
the Italian Space Agency.
This is Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
(AMSAT NEWS SERVICE, AMSAT ITALIA)
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D-STAR, TAPR AND VOA ON HAMVENTION WEEKEND AGENDA
PAUL/ANCHOR: If you're starting to pack your bags to head to Xenia,
Ohio, for Hamvention and you're a new D-STAR user, there are a number
of things you could consider adding to your already busy schedule. New
D-STAR users may want to attend the D-STAR InfoCon. It begins on
Thursday, May 16th with a meet-and-greet, followed by a full day of
information and activities on Friday, May 17th. InfoCon will take place
at the Drury Inn in North Dayton.
Meanwhile, also on May 17th, Tucson Amateur Packet Radio, or TAPR, will
be hosting a forum with topics that include Frequency Control for Next
Generation SDRs and using ezDV to get on the air with Digital Voice.
There will be a presentation by Hyomin Kim, KD2MCR, one of the founders
of the citizen science group, HamSCI. He will introduce the TAPR/HamSci
Magnetometer.
One of the most popular side trips of the weekend is the National Voice
of America Museum of Broadcasting who will have extended hours from May
16th through to May 19th. The amateur radio station of the West Chester
Amateur Radio Association, WC8VOA, will be on the air.
For details about D-STAR InfoCon, the TAPR Forum or the museum, see the
links in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org.
[FOR PRINT ONLY:
https://voamuseum.org/https://tapr.org/tapr-hamvention-plans/http://dstarinfo.com/d-star-infocon--dayton-hamvention-2024.aspx ]
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HAMVENTION TO SHOWCASE HAMSCI SOLAR ECLIPSE FINDINGS
PAUL/ANCHOR: If you were part of the Solar Eclipse QSO Parties
conducted by HamSCI, the citizen science research group, one of the
most exciting things Hamvention is offering may well be the initial
findings from the fall 2023 and spring 2024 eclipses, as we hear from
Andy Morrison K9AWM.
ANDY: Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, will be at Hamvention sharing HamSCI's
earliest results from data collected during the two recent solar
eclipses over North America. He will be talking at the HamSCI Forum as
well as the Hamvention Antenna Forum. There is an opportunity to hear
him and learn more about HamSCI's related projects by visiting booth
5008 in the Hertz Building at Hamvention. HamSCI will also be hosting
the HamSCI Forum and conducting different presentations in the
ARISS/YOTA area. The weekend's busy agenda will also include a closer
look at the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station.
For details visit the link in the text version of this week's newscast
at arnewsline.org
[DO NOT READ:
https://hamsci.org/hamsci-at-2024-hamvention ]
This is Andy Morrison K9AWM.
(AMATEUR RADIO DAILY; HAMSCI.ORG)
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COMPANY ANNOUNCES BLUETOOTH CONNECTION TO SATELLITE
PAUL/ANCHOR: A company based in Seattle, Washington has achieved an
unprecedented long-distance connection in space with a satellite - via
Bluetooth technology. George Zafiropoulos KJ6VU has the details.
GEORGE: Using a software patch upgrade for some off-the-shelf Bluetooth
chips, the Hubble Network in Seattle has achieved what it calls the
first low-power Bluetooth connection with a satellite orbiting the
Earth. The signals traveled a distance of more than 600km - or 370
miles - prompting Hubble's CEO and cofounder Alex Haro to say in a
recent press release that the Seattle company had clearly debunked
skeptics' belief that such a feat was impossible. A press release from
the company this month heralded the achievement as [quote] "critical
validation for the company, potentially opening the door to connecting
millions more devices anywhere in the world." [endquote]
Hubble Network said it began receiving the signals shortly after the
satellites' launch in March. Hubble hopes it will be able to present an
option for communications with global coverage creating less battery
drain and lower operating costs.
This is George Zafiropoulos, KJ6VU.
(HUBBLE NETWORK, TECHCRUNCH, INTERESTING ENGINEERING)
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PICO BALLOON MARKS 1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ORBIT
PAUL/ANCHOR: A Kingman, Arizona radio club had been worried that the
balloon they launched a year ago was lost for good. Instead, it is
marking a full year in orbit this month, as Ralph Squillace KK6ITB
tells us.
RALPH: There was good news in late April for the WB6RER pico balloon
that is about to mark its first year of circling the earth: Its weak
signals were picked up by VK5ARG and VK7JJ. Both Australian stations
copied the telemetry being transmitted by its 20-metre WSPR beacon. The
Hualapai Amateur Radio Club launched the balloon a year ago from
Arizona on May 19th. Traveling at an altitude of about 50,000 feet, the
balloon has orbited the earth at least a dozen times since.
Reaching that important first birthday hasn't been without some
struggles. The beacon's transmissions became compromised after the
lower half of the balloon's 20m dipole sustained some damage a few
months into the journey. The number of spots from WSPR stations dropped
off. The club wrote on one of the forums on QRZ.com that the absence of
spotting in the Southern Hemisphere over a two-month period had
convinced the club that the balloon's journey had ended - at least
until the stations in Australia received reports on the 20th of April.
Now as its journey takes the balloon east toward South America again,
there may be some more radio silence -- but at least this time the club
knows the balloon will have completed its first year in flight. It may
yet have other hydrogen-filled adventures ahead.
This is Ralph Squillace KK6ITB.
(AMATEUR NEWS DAILY, QRZ.COM)
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BREAK HERE: Time for you to identify your station. We are the Amateur
Radio Newsline, heard on bulletin stations around the world, including
the NM5EM repeater in Grants, New Mexico on Thursdays at 8 p.m.
localtime.
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NOMINATE NEWSLINE'S NEXT YOUNG HAM OF THE YEAR
PAUL/ANCHOR: It's May and that brings us closer to the deadline time
for this year's Bill Pasternak Memorial Young Ham of the Year award.
Let Newsline know of any promising young amateurs who are deserving of
this honor. Candidates must live in the continental United States and
be 18 years of age or younger. Tell our judges about your nominee's
talent, promise and commitment to the spirit of ham radio. This is your
chance to help honor and acknowledge that person who will, no doubt, go
on to teach and inspire others. Find the nomination form on our website
arnewsline.org under the "AWARDS" tab. Nominations close on May 31st.
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NEW YORK CLUB'S SPECIAL EVENT HONORS TUSKEGEE AIRMEN
PAUL/ANCHOR: In the United States, the third Saturday in May is
observed as Armed Forces Day, a day of tribute to the US military. One
club in New York is marking the occasion with a special-event
activation from an aviation museum on Long Island. This event honors
the first Black aviators in the US armed forces, the Tuskegee Airmen.
Travis Lisk N3ILS has that story.
TRAVIS: The Tuskegee (Tusk E GHEE) Airmen broke new ground in the
United States Army Air Corps, the branch of service which was later to
become the US Air Force. They were Black military aviators - a first
for the Army Air Corps - and they trained in Alabama at the Tuskegee
Army Air Field in preparation for combat service in the Second World
War over Europe and North Africa.
The Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club is honoring the airmen's
distinguished service with a special-event activation on the 18th of
May starting at 1300 UTC and ending at 2030 UTC. Hams will be operating
from the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale on 10, 15, 20 and 40
meters, using CW, SSB and FT8. The site is an appropriate one: The
museum is now home to many of the retired warbirds that were dispatched
into the skies in times of conflict.
Hams who contact station W2GSB, the club's callsign, will be eligible
for a downloadable certificate. Logs will also be uploaded to LoTW.
This is Travis Lisk N3ILS.
(GSBARC, HISTORY.COM)
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CHINA'S LUNAR LANDER TO DRILL ON FAR SIDE OF MOON
PAUL/ANCHOR: China's lunar lander is on a mission to bring home samples
from the dark side of the moon and is using a special satellite to
solve communications challenges. Jason Daniels VK2LAW brings us an
update.
JASON: China's Chang e-6 mission to the far side of the moon began its
53-day mission with a launch on Friday the 3rd of May. The mission
contains a lander spacecraft that is expected to drill into the lunar
surface near the Apollo crater, scooping and collecting samples that
will be brought to Earth in the mission's re-entry capsule.
A relay satellite in a specialized lunar orbit was launched earlier
this year by China to serve as a bridge between the moon's far side and
the Earth. This satellite is expected to be part of China's lunar
missions in 2026 and 2028. China's space program hopes to eventually
have a constellation of such communications satellites for use with
missions that will have crews on board.
This is Jason Daniels VK2LAW.
(SPACENEWS, REUTERS)
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SILENT KEY: RESPECTED AVIATOR DICK RUTAN, KB6LQS
PAUL/ANCHOR: A record-breaking, well-decorated US aviator has become a
Silent Key. We hear more about him from Patrick Clark K8TAC.
PATRICK: Dick Rutan, KB6LQS, a decorated US Air Force pilot and an
aviation record-setter, became a Silent Key on Friday the 3rd of May.
Dick, who joined the military as a teenager, had a distinguished
service during the Vietnam War that included more than 300 combat
missions.
He is perhaps just as well-known for setting a flight-endurance record
as copilot of a non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world in 1986.
The Voyager aircraft, which Dick helped construct, was designed by his
brother, Burt.
Dick, who had been hospitalized in Idaho with a severe lung infection,
was 85.
This is Patrick Clark K8TAC.
(AP, QRZ.COM, STARS & STRIPES)
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WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX, listen for Tim, N5TCH, operating holiday style as
V4/N5TCH from St Kitts, IOTA Number NA-104, until the 17th of May. QSL
only by LoTW.
Listen for special event station A91WTIS from the 11th through to the
17th of May, in observance of World Telecommunication and Information
Society Day, which marks the founding of the International
Telecommunication Union. QSL via EC6DX.
The special callsign HF25NATO is active until the 31st of August,
marking the 25th anniversary of Poland joining the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization. Certificates and limited-edition QSL cards are
available. Visit QRZ.com for details.
Members of Club Radio Durnal, ON4CRD, are on the air as OR90AL until
the 31st of May marking 90 years since the death of Albert the first,
King of the Belgians. QSL via the bureau.
(425 DX BULLETIN)
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KICKER: THE NEWEST VEHICLE FOR CODE HAS 4-WHEEL DRIVE
PAUL/ANCHOR: If you think you can't operate mobile CW unless you have a
radio and unless you also know the Code, think again. Some automobiles
on the market are making mobile CW operating easier than ever. Almost
effortless, in fact, as we hear from Dave Parks WB8ODF.
DAVE: It seems that in the last few years, operating mobile CW hasn't
even required an amateur radio license - or so it seems, if you look at
the carmakers have embrace Morse Code as an automotive design element.
In the summer of 2022, models of Jeep vehicles featured the "dit" and
the "dah" across the front grille. Jeep's Dubai-based ad agency,
Publicis [pub luh siss] Dubai, explained that by sporting these CW
symbols upfront, Jeep owners could feel a sense of community and a
spirit of adventure in remote, off-road places. This bold gesture
followed a more subtle use of CW by the same carmaker four years
earlier: the 2018 Jeep Compass featured Code on the driver's left
footrest in a message spelling out "sand snow rivers rocks," all
familiar Jeep uncharted terrain. Not to be left behind in the off-road
dust, Hyundai has recently put four illuminated "dits" on its steering
wheel - CW for the letter "H." The Code began appearing in new models
such as the Santa Fe, the Kona and Hyundai's electric SUV, the Ioniq
[EYE-YONNICK]. Now the Toyota Tacoma is getting into the traffic jam:
This year's SUV has Morse Code symbols appear on a side panel of the
dashboard. The code provides directions to a way in which car owners
can find plans to build their own 3-D printed automotive accessories.
So far as we know, those instructions still don't include the most
necessary element - printing a ham radio license for mobile CW
operation. Drivers will still have to earn that the old-fashioned way.
This is Dave Parks WB8ODF.
(MOTOR TREND, JALOPNIK)
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DO YOU HAIKU?
We challenge you, our listeners, to accept our challenge: Write a haiku
that shows how you feel about all that time you spend on the air. Use
the entry form on our website, arnewsline.org and please follow the
rules for writing your three-line haiku -- sorry but we cannot accept
any entries that aren't written in traditional haiku format. Share with
fellow listeners the poetry that is inspired by your ham radio
experience!
NEWSCAST CLOSE: With thanks to Amateur Radio Weekly; AMSAT Italia;
AMSAT News Service; CQ Magazine; David Behar K7DB; DXWorld; 425DXNews;
Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club; HamSCI; History.com; the Hubble
Network; Jalopnik; Motor Trend; QRZ.com; Reuters; shortwaveradio.de;
SpaceNews; Stars & Stripes; YouTube; and you our listeners, that's all
from the Amateur Radio Newsline. We remind our listeners that Amateur
Radio Newsline is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that incurs
expenses for its continued operation. If you wish to support us, please
visit our website at arnewsline.org and know that we appreciate you
all. We also remind our listeners that if you like our newscast, please
leave us a 5-star rating wherever you subscribe to us. For now, with
Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT at the news desk in New York, and our news team
worldwide, I'm Paul Braun WD9GCO in Valparaiso Indiana saying 73. As
always we thank you for listening. Amateur Radio Newsline(tm) is
Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.
Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2428 for Friday May 10th, 2024